By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
The deadline to register for the first-ever Iowa Catholic Youth Conference is March 25. Youths in grades 6-8 are invited to attend in a parish group and/or with their families.
“The day will be very interactive,” said Don Boucher, diocesan director of Faith Formation. “Teens will have fun and they’ll learn something about themselves and their faith.” Themed “Rooted,” the day will explore how the faithful are rooted in community, faith and Jesus.
The conference will take place April 3 at Regina Catholic Education Center in Iowa City from 9:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. The featured speaker and musician is singer/songwriter Dana Catherine, a presenter at the 2021 National Catholic Youth Conference.
Participants will first participate in a general session, followed by lunch, hands-on activities, games and breakout sessions. A second general session will take place in the afternoon followed by Mass at 2:45 p.m.
Boucher encourages parents to come, as they will share an experience with their children that will give them “something to talk about well after the event ends.”
The Diocese of Davenport is co-sponsoring the event with the Archdiocese of Dubuque. Originally, they hoped to host the conference in the fall of 2020, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced them to postpone. “Early in 2021 we started talking about this again and started planning once again. And here we are, finally, getting this off the ground,” Boucher said
Tickets are $34 a person for youths and parents. Meals and materials are included in the cost. Tickets may be purchased by parish leaders or by individual families. To purchase tickets visit https://dbqarch.org/icyc.
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